


'The Cloud' - 1x06

by raktajinos



Series: Delta Drabbles - a Rewatch Challenge [6]
Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Beverages, Episode Tag, Gen, Humor, fluffy but surprisingly poignant, is it arrogant to call your own work poignant?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-14
Updated: 2013-05-14
Packaged: 2017-12-11 19:54:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/802578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raktajinos/pseuds/raktajinos
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There had better be coffee in that nebula......</p><p>Tom muses on what he'd do for his Captain.</p>
            </blockquote>





	'The Cloud' - 1x06

**Author's Note:**

> "There's coffee in that nebula" is one of my favourite lines Janeway has ever said! Plus I just love the relationship between Tom and Janeway (in a platonic way).
> 
> This will be the first of...three or four drabbles for this episode. I couldn't decide on which idea to settle on, so I'll just write them all.

"There's coffee in that nebula" Tom Paris heard his captain say behind him on the bridge; he could hear the smirk in her voice and the expectation of said coffee.

He smiled to himself as him imputed the commands to take the ship into said nebula. He hoped there would be enough power in there to replenish the ship - he was eager to have a real shower and replicate his favourite cookies (if anyone knew he used 15% of his rations for cookies he'd never hear the end of it). 

But he also hoped there'd be energy so his Captain could have her coffee. He'd learned over the past few weeks that she lived for the stuff and a happy captain meant a happy crew. He'd even noticed how Chakotay had managed to manipulate this addiction of hers, always having a steaming cup of the stuff ready for her on the bridge. 

Tom knew he'd be happy to sacrifice some of his rations to give to the Captain so she could have coffee. He'd tasted Neelix's "better-than-coffee" coffee....and it _did not_ live up to its namesake; and if a casual drinker like him couldn't stand it, he couldn't imagine Janeway liking it. So he'd be happy to donate some of his and he knew probably most of the crew would as well. 

She was their leader, the one who promised to get them home. They all would want to help her. But Tom felt indebted to her; she gave him a second chance at life. While everyone else wanted to get back to Earth, he was perfectly happy to spend the next 70 years getting there. He had a new beginning here, he was starting to make friends, he was respected, he got to pilot a top-of-the-line ship....he was happy.

The feeling was new to him and he vowed he would do everything in his power to ensure he paid Janeway back, to thank her for what she did for him, for what she saw in him. Even if it was a small thing such as finding coffee in a nebula.


End file.
